Bringing Her Home
by SapphoAndCyanide
Summary: Catherine goes to California to figure out why Sara left Vegas.CS.Post S7.Bad Summary.CHAPTER 6 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

Catherine took one last look at the fancy hotel lobby before the elevator doors closed

_**Bringing Her Home**_

Summary: AU. Cath goes to California to talk to Sara and find out why she really left Vegas. Bad summary. Sorry. CS

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: I will most likely change the title if I can actually think of a good one, any suggestions?

I just found this and posted it for the sheer hell of it.I know it sucks I will probably add to it..I'm sorry. I will try to write a lot this summer. I can't see my girlfriend so I might as well write,right? Lol

…--…--…

Catherine took one last look at the fancy hotel lobby before the elevator doors closed. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. It was hard for her to picture Sara Sidle _ever _staying in a hotel room, especially after she saw that documentary about what usually ended up left behind on the mattress and bed sheets, she ranted on about that for _months_!

201…203…205…_207_.

She stopped in front of room 207. This was it. The room Sara was supposed to be staying in.

Catherine didn't know if it was that she wanted to get this whole day over with, or the rush that came with knowing she was about to see Sara again; but she didn't think twice before knocking on the door confidently…There was a long silence before she heard shuffled footsteps, and the door opened slowly.

"Catherine?"

God, she had missed that voice. She smiled warmly at the woman she hadn't seen in over 3 months. "Hey Sara,"

The brunette looked beyond confused, but under that confusion Catherine noticed a gleam in Sara's eyes. Was she actually _happy _to see her?! If she was, she didn't show it in her voice; "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know…just passing through." She chuckled nervously. _Oh nice Willows, let's not be __too __conspicuous now. _

Sara resisted the urge to laugh at how lame and cliché that excuse was. "You were passing through--in_ California_?"

"Ugh, clearly not," The blonde rolled her eyes in defeat. "Now, I don't know about you, but I do not enjoy having conversations in the hallway of a hotel, can I come in please?"

Sara raised a suspicious eyebrow. "How'd you find me?"

"_I'm_ still a CSI, Sidle. I have my ways." She smirked before stepping past the brunette into the room. Sara just shook her head in amusement before closing the door.

…--…--…

Sara looked everywhere and nowhere before finally managing to be somewhat comfortable with her visitor and asked;

"So how's everyone been?"

The blonde cocked her head to the side slightly, trying desperately to keep the venom out of her voice.

"You mean since you left or in general?"

"Both." The brunette muttered.

"Well, Nick and Warrick have been spending a lot of time along the Strip, doing who-knows-what; Brass has been locking himself in his office, while everyone else has been walking around on eggshells around Gil."

She chuckled slightly. "Except Greg of course, he's been a wreck. He actually told Grissom to fuck off the other night!"

Sara's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She couldn't imagine someone actually saying that to Gil, let alone Greg. It was just too unbelievable for words.

"What about you? How've you been?"

"Why?" It sounded more defensive than she'd intended, it was supposed to sound somewhat hopeful, but with the lack of sleep and every other emotion running through Catherine's head at the moment it was hard to express just one. She was slightly curious as to why Sara was asking how _she _was as opposed to _Gil_, but she ignored subject.

The brunette looked down at her hands, trying to ignore the ping of hurt that came from that one little word. "I just wanna know Cath,"

Catherine sighed lightly before replying. "Well, I haven't told Gil to fuck off yet...Give it time though."

Sara met Catherine's gaze only to see that the blonde had meant for that last comment to be funny, so she smirked, just glad that Catherine hadn't continued being defensive.

"So why'd you leave?"

"…I needed time to think." Sara was starting to find her fingernails extremely interesting at this point.

"About?"

Sara let out a sound deep in her throat that was a cross between a sob and a chuckle. "Everything, my whole damn life; my job, my relationship--with Gil. I just don't see the point in any of it anymore." She shook her head in frustration.

Catherine took a second to process what the brunette had said before she gasped. "Sar, you didn't come here to...to…" She couldn't finish the sentence; the idea of Sara coming back to her hometown to end her life was just too awful an idea.

"What?!" No Catherine, I wasn't planning on killing myself! Shit, I could never pull that off. I'm too much of a coward to do something that drastic."

Catherine moved her chair closer to the edge of the bed and grasped both of Sara's hands in her own. The brunette had to force herself to look at anything but the beautiful blue eyes in front of her. She already had too many things to work out; she didn't need the complications of her feelings for Catherine being added to the list. Not yet at least…

"Hey," Catherine started. "Sara, look at me please." Her grasp tightened slightly on Sara's hands. Not painfully so, just enough to remind the brunette that the strawberry blonde was definitely holding her hands.

Sara took a deep calming breath before looking back at the other woman.

"You are _not_ a coward. You're the strongest person I've ever met. Although, I _am _glad you're not thinking about committing suicide, you're still a hell of a lot braver than I could ever be!"

Sara felt herself blushing slightly. She was never really good at taking compliments, and the fact that said compliment was coming from Catherine Willows just made it all the more embarrassing.

"Thank you Catherine, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time."

The blonde smirked. "You're welcome,"

The two women sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence for what felt like hours before Sara spoke up.

"Can I show you something?"

Catherine just nodded.

Sara reached into one of her duffel bags and retrieved a folded up piece of paper. She examined it for a minute, trying to decide if she wanted Catherine to read it or not, then finally giving in, she handed it over.

"I wrote it for you before I left…I-I just didn't have the guts to give it to you. Guess I'm not as brave as you thought, huh?" It looked like the brunette was talking to herself, since she was back to staring at the ground, but they both knew better.

Catherine remained silent and she unfolded the letter gingerly. Sara had never written anything specifically for her before, the occasional memo on her desk or text message sent to her cell maybe, but she was always texting back and forth with the guys…God only knows what they all talked about then. She looked up at Sara before she started reading. She looked terrified. The letter couldn't be that bad, could it?

Blue eyes began scanning the page:

'_Catherine,_

'_If you're reading this I'm already gone; please don't hate me for leaving or for what I'm going to say…I really don't know where to start… It's funny, I've been waiting 7 years for this moment and I'm at a total loss for words. Of course, I'm used to feeling that way when I'm around you. That's meant as a compliment though. I've never met someone who was actually able to make me forget to breathe just by smiling at me, or make my whole body feel like Jello at a glance…'_

Catherine smiled broadly at the last part, her heart swelling at Sara's words. She couldn't believe she was reading this; that _Sara Sidle_ had written this about her. She continued reading:

'_I never thought I'd ever feel this way about anyone before. At first I thought I loved Gil, but what I felt for him was __nothing __compared to how I feel about you, Cath. I kissed him before I wrote letters to both him, and you, and I realized that I felt __nothing__. He was safe, and simple, and he made me forget about you…for a little while, that's why I was with him. But I'm tired of pretending to be happy, and lying to myself. I'm not happy in my job anymore, and I'm especially not happy pretending that I don't love you. So I've decided to move back to California, start fresh, maybe get a job teaching at a college. I'm not really sure yet. I'll write whenever I get a chance, promise. I'll miss everyone at the lab immensely, you guys were the family I never had and always wanted. But I'll miss __you__ the most. I love you Catherine._

… _Sara.'_

Catherine looked back up at Sara, who still had a terrified look plastered on her face. She must've taken the tears welling up in Catherine's eyes as a bad thing.

"I'm sorry Catherine; I didn't mean to make you cry. I should've never given you the letter."

The older woman chuckled through her tears, wiping her eyes. "I'm not sorry Sara, and these are good tears, trust me. I feel like such and idiot for not telling you how _I _felt sooner. We both could've saved ourselves some trouble."

"What do you mean?"

Catherine smiled softly at Sara before sitting right next to her on the bed, she grabbed both of the younger woman's hands.

"What I mean is…I love you too Sara, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Sara's smile practically lit up the room. Before she could stop herself she had her lips pressed against Catherine's. The kiss was short but it expressed how they both felt.

They slowly pulled apart and Sara thought about apologizing for being so forward, but the crooked grin on the older woman's face told her it was more than ok.

Catherine leaned her forehead against Sara's, not wanting to move but she knew they couldn't ignore the giant elephant in the room any longer, so she asked in a whisper, trying not to ruin the moment:

"Sooo, are you ready to come back home now?"

Sara leaned away slightly.

"Cath I…"

_**TBC….**_

Ohhhh, I'm a bitch, aren't I? My 'big' comeback story and I make it a TBC?! I'm sorry but this is my way of seeing if people will even read. I'm not going to continue this unless I know I've got an audience. So review por favor.

Nicole.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews

_Thanks for all the reviews! Glad you guys like it!_

_Disclaimer: Sadly. I own nothing…If only._

…/…/…/…

_**Chapter 2**_

Sara leaned back slightly. "Cath…I can't go back. Maybe eventually, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon. I'm sorry."

The confused look on Catherine's face was only a fraction of how she was really feeling. "Oh…but…I just assumed…I mean…After what we just told each other…."

Sara held her hand up. "I get what you're tryin to say Catherine, really…"

Catherine put her hands in her lap and looked down. "Do you regret saying you loved me? If you do, I'll understand, we can just pretend it--" Before she could finish her thought Sara hooked a finger under her chin and lifted it so they could look into each other's eyes.

"Don't even _think_ about finishing that sentence. I could _never_ regret how I feel about you, and I especially don't feel bad about finally telling you either! What I'm trying to say is; I didn't expect you to come all the way to California for me so I'm not exactly prepared to go back to Vegas. There are just too many bad memories that I haven't worked through yet and I'm afraid of what will happen if I go back too soon. Please don't be mad."

The blonde was back to holding Sara's hands. She squeezed them reassuringly. "It's ok, I understand. I definitely don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to do."

"Ya know," Sara started, trying to lighten the mood. "You're the only reason I'm even _considering_ going back."

Catherine beamed. "Really? Wow, don't I feel special."

The brunette chuckled and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer. "You should," She kissed the top of Catherine's head before the blonde let out a long yawn. "Pfft! Am I boring you _that_ much, Miss Willows?" She joked.

"Course not," Catherine looked up. "It's been a long day, I drove here. I'm surprised I'm still standing…Er, or moving I guess." She stood up and stretched, her arms reaching towards the ceiling and Sara had to do her best not to stare at Catherine's stomach when her shirt rode up, revealing her bellybutton. She shot up.

"So, uh, where are you staying tonight?" Sara asked quickly, running her hands through her hair absentmindedly, thankful when the blonde was finished her unconscious torture.

"Well, I figured I'd just try to get a room here." Catherine replied. She had noticed how flustered the younger woman had gotten just now. _'Note to self; tease Sara __much __more, __very__ cute.'_

"You don't have to do that. It's a waste of money, you can stay here. I'll sleep on the couch." Sara offered hopefully.

"Are you sure I won't be intruding?"

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Catherine, I've been by myself for the past 3 months, trust me, there is _nothing_ I want more right now then to have you here tonight! Especially because it's all I've wanted for the longest time."

The blonde could feel herself blushing profusely. She smiled from the corner of her mouth before closing the distance between them. She gave Sara a quick kiss on the lips before leaning into her ear, her hot breath washing over the brunette's skin, making her heart race. She swallowed hard as Catherine whispered in her ear.

"Ya know Sidle, maybe if you're lucky I'll show you what _I've _wanted for the longest time."

Sara felt all the blood rush to her head in an instant. Did Catherine really just say that to her?! "I-I…Uhh…"

Catherine giggled. _'Oh ya, this is gonna be fun.' _She grabbed Sara's hand and started leading her out of the room. "C'mon Sar, snap outta it! Let's go get my bags!"

…/…/…/…/…

_-Later that night-_

After bringing Catherine's things in, the women ordered dinner. They spent the meal talking about all the odd cases the team had seen since Sara's departure. When they were finished it was already past 2 a.m.

"Wow, I didn't realize it was so late." Catherine glanced at the clock on the bedside table next to the couch where they were both sitting. "I forgot how tired I was."

"We should probably get to sleep. Do you know when you're heading back yet?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Catherine kidded; Sara threw one of the tiny pillows from the couch at her. "Just kidding, hun! I will probably stay as long as it takes to get you back to Vegas. I've got a ton of vacation days and Linds is away at school…"

"Well I won't argue with that." Sara replied as she tossed a blanket and pillow from the bed onto the couch. Catherine grabbed them and threw them back.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing?" She demanded playfully, one of her hands going to her hips.

"Getting my bed ready, I'm taking the couch tonight, remember?" Sara stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Catherine, who was now sitting on the bed, patted the spot next to her. "Nope, you're gonna sleep on the bed…with me."

"I am?" The brunette arched an eyebrow, not about to argue.

"Yup, this _is _your room after all. I'm not going to be a bitch and make you sleep on a tiny little couch."

"Can't argue with that logic," Sara agreed, grabbing her pajamas; she went into the bathroom to change.

When she came back out a few minutes later Catherine was already under the covers, well, at least the bottom half of her was. She was sitting up in bed smiling over at Sara. Wearing (as far as she could tell) nothing but a bra…The brunette almost forgot she was walking until her knees hit the edge of the bed, she tore her gaze away ruefully.

'_Wonder if what's under the covers looks half as good as the part I can see? Oh, who the hell am I kidding? It's Catherine! Of course it does!'_

"Ready for bed?" The younger woman asked apprehensively, ignoring her thoughts. Thinking like that was not very good for her sanity considering she was about to sleep next to this woman. _'__Sleep__…just sleep.' _She scolded her id.

It took Catherine a moment to reply because she was lost in her own little world. The second Sara had walked back in her eyes were glued to her. She was wearing a black tank top and boxers, simple, but _incredibly_ sexy in the CSI's opinion. She was only brought out of her thoughts when Sara got under the blankets at the other side of the bed.

'_STOP staring you idiot, you're probably drooling all over the blankets!'_

Catherine shook herself back to reality. "Huh? Oh, yup. I'm ready for bed. Night…"

Sara just nodded and turned off the lights. Both women laid in silence for what felt like an eternity before Catherine spoke up.

"Sar?" It almost looked like she was addressing the darkened ceiling.

"Hmm?"

She couldn't help but ask. "…Are these your blankets or the hotels'?"

Leave it to Sara to use her blankets and sheets because she was afraid to use the hotels'.

Silence…

"…Mine."

Both women burst out laughing.

"I swear to God Sara, you are something else." Catherine muttered as they both calmed down. She turned on her side and looked at her, her eyes finally adjusting to the dark. "…And I love it." She added seriously.

Sara grinned. She didn't know if Catherine could see it or not so she reached across the bed and grabbed her hand.

"Catherine, do you wanna go out with me? I mean, can I take you out on a date?"

It sounded silly, considering they had already established they loved each other, but Sara felt she should ask. She wanted to make—whatever this was, official.

Catherine closed the space between them and rested her head on Sara's shoulder, draping her arm over the brunette's stomach; she placed a kiss on her collarbone.

"I'd love that." The blonde whispered into her neck.

Sara sighed contently. "Night Catherine…I love you."

"Night sweetie, love you too."

The former CSI stared up at the ceiling, listening to Catherine's breathing even out, her mind racing with a million thoughts as she drifted into a light sleep. Was she doing the right thing with Catherine? Was she really willing to return to Las Vegas, the place where all of her nightmares had started, for this one woman?

_**TBC…**_

_**Was that long enough this time? Hope ya'll like it!**_

_**Reviews make my ego smile!**_

_**Nicole**_


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel452

_A/N: I am trying to add a chapter a day so I don't lose motivation, so if this seems rushed in terms of plot, please tell me._

Rachel452 and Yurilover90, constructive criticism duly noted, and I totally agree. I felt like I _was _rushing it but I couldn't figure out how to incorporate it in the right way. So this chapter will be focused around that. Thanks to all who reviewed!

Disclaimer: _Like always, not mine._

_**Chapter 3**_

Sara didn't sleep much that night, mainly because she wasn't used to having someone sleeping next to her, let alone in her arms, but also because her mind kept racing.

Her head turned to the side and made out the red numbers of the clock in the dark:

_4:30_

'_Great,'_ she gently lifted the sleeping woman's arm off of her stomach then slowly slipped out of bed. She grabbed herself a bottle of water from the mini-fridge before going and curling up on the couch. _'What am I doing?' _ She had promised Catherine that she would eventually go back to Vegas, to be with _her_. She didn't even know what exactly the other woman wanted out of this. It could just be sex, or she could be mistaking some other feelings for love…Sara knew what she wanted though; she wanted Catherine…All of her; her heart, her mind, her body… _'Well, let's not get started on __that__ topic…'_

The brunette settled deeper into the couch and began to think back to when she first found herself falling for the blonde…

…/…/…/…

_It was at least a year ago, just after the Natalie Dell fiasco. That had been the worst experience of Sara's life. Being trapped under that car, almost drowning, and then having to wander around in the desert until she finally dropped…All of it gave her nightmares still. She had survived two abusive parents and a poor excuse of a childhood, but this was the moment that finally broke her. Part of her died that night, and she had not been able to recover. _

_She had thought that Gil would be more emotionally supportive to her, but he stayed just as emotionally cold as ever. It was as if he could not understand how anyone could find a near-death experience terrifying. She would wake up in the middle of the night crying from the nightmares and Gil would just get up and leave the room. _

_He would simply say: "You need your space," _

_If anything, his lack of sympathy only made Sara feel worse. She needed someone to talk to, to vent her feelings to; she had __never__ needed that before._

_One morning after shift she found herself sitting on the floor in the locker-room, her knees pulled up to her chest, with her head down. She was so emotionally drained from her ordeal and all of her recent cases that she didn't even flinch when she heard the door open and the familiar sound of high-heels coming towards her._

"_Sara?"_

_It was Catherine, but she couldn't bring herself to look up without the risk of breaking down._

_She could sense that the blonde was now sitting on the bench across from her._

_There was a moment of silence before she continued. "Um, look, I know things have been really tough for you lately, after everything that's happened, and I know Grissom isn't exactly Dr. Phil on __any__ level…"_

_Sara looked up and raised an eyebrow at the quip…She could just __picture__ Gil say in monotone: "And how does that make you FEEL?"…Er… or maybe she couldn't._

"…_So I just wanted to let you know that I'm here if you need to talk. Even if it's about nothing in particular…if you just want to vent." Catherine thought about putting her hand on Sara's knee comfortingly, but she knew the brunette wasn't a big fan of physical contact and she didn't want to make her anymore uncomfortable then she probably already felt._

_Sara took a moment to process what the blonde had just said. This was totally unlike Catherine; the only other time she had ever done something like this was after she broke up with Hank…Part of her thought it would be a bad idea opening up like that, but she really needed to talk, it was tearing her up inside._

"_Do you wanna go get a beer?" She didn't expect her voice to sound so shaky, but she had been on the verge of tears half the day._

"_Sure," Catherine smiled warmly and stood up, she offered her hand out to Sara, and after a minute, she took it. She helped Sara to her feet and after waiting for her to compose herself, she followed her out of the room._

_Catherine had listened supportively, she didn't judge her like Sara had originally feared, she even found herself laughing near the end of the night, Catherine was doing her best to make her feel better on some level…_

_After that night Catherine made a point of asking how Sara was before each shift and the two started hanging out after work some days. Of course when Sara started looking somewhat happier Gil just assumed it was because his method of ignoring Sara's feeling was what made it happen._

_Somewhere during that time Sara realized how much Catherine was starting to mean to her. She started looking forward to spending time with just her; she would find herself thinking of something funny the blonde had said earlier in the day while she was talking to Gil, and lastly, she was wishing that was spending time with Catherine and not her boyfriend…'_

…/…/…/…

"_I wonder if that's when Catherine started liking me as well." _Sara wondered; making a point of asking the blonde in the morning. She could feel herself slowly drifting back to sleep, somehow the memory was soothing to her in a way…

_**TBC…**_

_Ok, that was essentially an exposition-y chapter. Next chapter Sara will ask Catherine when she started liking her…Cath will answer-- some other stuff will happen…blah blah blah…_

_REVIEW!!_

_Nicole_


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all who reviewed

_Thanks to all who reviewed! _

_A/N: I stayed up all night getting this chapter jus right so you guys, you better like it! Lol _

_Disclaimer: CSI belongs entirely to me…NOT!_

…_/…/…/…/…_

_**Chapter 4**_

_Later That Morning…_

When Sara opened her eyes again she was met with a room filled with much-too-bright morning sunshine. She snapped her eyes closed again. _"Oww did __not__ need that…" _She tried again, eyes slowly adjusting, her gaze found the bed. It looked freshly made, but no sign of the woman who had slept there. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Cath?" She called. No answer…She glanced at the clock; it was a little after 9. _"She probably went out for coffee." _She reasoned.

The brunette stood up and decided to grab a shower before Catherine returned. Laziness and a lack sleep got the better of her though and she fell forward onto the neatly made bed, landing on her stomach. She didn't fall back to sleep, it just felt relaxing lying with her eyes closed. Not even 15 minutes passed before the door slowly opened and she heard Catherine slip back in.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh to herself as she spotted Sara lying on the bed, her legs hanging halfway off the mattress, face buried in the blanket. She couldn't tell if she was asleep or not, but she was enjoying the view immensely… _"Her ass does look __really __good in those boxers…"_ Catherine found herself biting her bottom lip unconsciously.

Once she was able to tear her gaze away from the sight in front of her she made her way across the room and set the bagels and coffee that she had bought down on the table next to the mini-fridge before going and jumping onto the bed, deciding it was time for Sara to wake up.

As Sara felt the weight of the bed shift dramatically she groaned in protest, she rolled herself over on her back and found herself staring up at a beaming Catherine. _"Damn she's beautiful when she smiles like that."_

"Morning sleepyhead," Catherine greeted; brushing Sara's disheveled hair off her forehead warmly before planting a quick kiss there.

"Morning," She replied lazily, propping herself up on her elbows while Catherine sat cross-legged next to her. "How long have you been up?"

Catherine checked her watch. "Not long. 8. So how'd you end up on the couch last night? I kick you off or somethin?" She had been told before that she _did_ in fact kick in her sleep so it wasn't exactly a sarcastic comment.

Sara chuckled. "No, I just couldn't sleep. I went to sit and think and before I knew it I was out again like _that_." She snapped her fingers to emphasize 'that'.

The blonde frowned. "What were you thinking about?"

Sara could see the obvious worry in Catherine's blue eyes. "Nothing bad, part of it was actually remembering when I first realized I liked you as more than a friend."

"Oh," Her expression brightened instantly. "When was that exactly?"

"Hmm," Sara tapped her chin and pretended to think. "I'm not sure I remember."

Catherine giggled. "C'mon Sar! I wanna know!" She pushed the brunette's shoulder playfully.

"Ok, ok! Jeez, no need to get violent woman!" Sara chuckled then got serious. "It was after the Natalie Dell _thing_." She couldn't figure out what to call it. Fiasco? Disaster? _Incident_? "…When you said you'd be there whenever I needed to talk?"

Catherine just nodded.

"It meant a lot to me Catherine. Really. I've never really needed to get things off my chest before, but that-that just tore me apart and having you there to listen just opened the door up to me starting to fall for you."

The older woman smiled affectionately before cupping Sara's cheek with her hand. "I know sweetie, and for what it's worth, seeing you sad all the time just made me want to do whatever it took to get you to smile again…"

Sara felt herself blushing and couldn't help the giant smile that spread across her face.

Catherine grinned. "That's the one…Has anyone ever told you that you have _the _sexiest smile?"

The former CSI shrugged. "You jus—"

Before she could finish the sentence Catherine had crashed her lips against hers, effectively making her forget what she was going to say in the first place. Sara put her hand on the back of Catherine's neck, pulling her down and deepening the kiss in the process even though Catherine had the slight height advantage at the moment because the taller woman was still leaning back on her elbows

The blonde slowly slipped a hand underneath Sara's black tank top and began raking her fingernails against the warm skin of the brunette's stomach.

The sensation that Catherine's hand was creating caused Sara to moan into the kiss and the older woman used the opportunity to slip her tongue into former CSI's mouth. Sara's hand slid from her place on Catherine's back, to her ass, pulling her practically on top of her…

Before they had a chance to get any further they were caught off guard by a very loud ringing…

Sara laughed against Catherine's lips. "I think your pants are ringing. That's a weird way to show you're turned on Cath."

Catherine closed her eyes and muttered "Fuck," under her breath; she drew back from Sara's lips, missing them instantly. She ruefully slid her hand out of brunette's top and pulled her phone out of her pant's pocket.

"What?!" She snapped into the receiver. Sara covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Yes Gil, I'm here!...No, No!... Because I haven't had a chance to yet that's why!"

The shock of hearing her ex's name made Sara tense up instantly, she strained to hear what he was saying on the other line, but had no such luck.

Catherine continued barking into the phone. "She said that she doesn't know yet…No, she hasn't said why! Look, Gil, I'm kinda in the middle of something, I'll call you ba—yes, ok, I will ask! _GOODBYE Gil!_"

Sara could hear Grissom's muttered voice in the phone before Catherine slammed it closed and tossed it aside.

"Ok, where were we?" The blonde asked rhetorically as she put her hand on Sara's side and pulled her closer. Sara was still tensed up.

"What'd he want?"

"Nothing…Just wanted to see if I made it here ok." The older CSI said in between raining kisses down on the younger woman's neck.

Sara pushed her away lightly. "It sounded like there was more. What's going on Catherine? What are you supposed to ask me?" She queried suspiciously.

Catherine let out a long breath in frustration. She sat up straight. "Ok, don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger; but I was supposed to ask you if Gil had anything to do with you leaving and if there was any chance of you going back to him."

"Whoa, what?!" Sara shot off the bed, Catherine remained sitting.

"It's not a big deal Sar, you know Gil, he just wants to know if what he did wrong so he can assess the steps he took to get there because he's so damn curious…blah, blah, blah."

The brunette shook her head roughly. "No Catherine," She was finally putting two-and-two together. "Not 'blah, blah, blah'. Ya know what all that says to me? That the only reason you even came to California is because Gil was too chicken-shit to do it himself. You're just here to do his dirty work, try to convince me to go back so I can go through all that hell again, you don't really give a fuck how I feel about you or anything else, do you?!"

"Sara, you're overreacting." Catherine got off the bed and tried to get closer to Sara but with every step she took towards her the other woman took two back.

"Am I?! I mean, damn, do you even like me Catherine?! Or were you just saying that so you could butter me up to go back home with you?!"

"Yes!"

Sara's eyes widened at that response but Catherine quickly corrected herself. "I mean no! _Yes_ you are overreacting, _yes_ I do like you, and _no_ I am not just saying that, I promise."

"Oh I bet," Sara scoffed. Her gaze fell to the ground, and she let out a ragged sigh. "I'm such an idiot." She mumbled to herself. She felt hurt, betrayed, and a little used on some level. How could Catherine knowingly do that to her?!

"No sweetie, you're not." Catherine managed to get close enough to put her hand on Sara's shoulder but she quickly shook it off.

"Don't freakin touch me," She wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "And _yes_, I _am_ an idiot." She glared angrily at the blonde. "I don't know why I didn't see it before, it was just too convenient…I can just _see_ Gil telling you: 'Here ya go Catherine!'" She tried in her best mock-Grissom voice. "'Go to California and try to get Sara back over here. Do or say _anything_ to get her to trust you so she'll want to come back!'"

"Sara," Catherine pleaded. "That's not what happened, I swear. I-I was coming over here myself and I had to tell Gil and he practically _begged_ me to ask you those things, and I never had any intention of doing it." Her voice had gotten softer. "Please believe me; I came here because I missed you, not because of Grissom."

Sara shook her head, not wanting to hear any of it. Her feelings weren't about to change about the situation just because Catherine threw a few comforting words her way. "I think you need to get your stuff and get the hell out of here Catherine." Her voice was oddly even and cold.

"No, Sa—"

"_Now_ Catherine, just go back to Las Vegas or something, I don't care…" She turned and started walking into the bathroom, needing to get away from the blonde, but she stopped and threw back over her shoulder: "Oh, and you can tell Grissom that I'm not going back, now or _ever._" She had meant that more for Catherine's benefit, she really didn't give a crap if Gil knew or not.

Catherine heard the bathroom door slam shut, causing her to jerk in surprise.

"I want you gone when I decide to come out Willows!" Sara's muffled voice screamed from the other side of the door.

"Shit!" Catherine cursed under her breath. She started biting her thumbnail and pacing, trying to contemplate what to do now. Sara was obviously beyond pissed…and if 8 years of knowing Sara Sidle had taught her _anything_ it was that she needed her space after their fights or everyone would feel her wrath as a result._ "I'll leave for a few hours, give her some space and time to cool off and when I get back I'll try explaining it again."_ That had to work, she reasoned.

She grabbed only her purse and keys, purposely leaving her other things, and, glancing at the bathroom door once more, she left. "I hope this works…"

_**TBC…**_

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_Bwhahahahaha…ha…Evil, I know. I was originally going to steer this in another direction but this popped into my head last minute._

_REVIEW!_

_Nicole_


	5. Chapter 5

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Sorry for the wait guys, I got sick as hell, couldn't move at all, I'm better now.

Disclaimer: As always, CSI is not mine; go bother someone else.

A/N: This'll be a short chapter. Sorry. I'll make it up to you guys later.

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_**Chapter 5**_

_(Later That Night)_

As opposed to giving Sara merely a few hours to cool off as Catherine had originally decided, she gave her the whole day, it was already after 9 pm by the time the blonde made it back to the hotel.

She had thought about buying Sara flowers, but she knew she wasn't a big fan, so instead, she bought a bag of her favorite candy, M&M's. She knew it was lame, but it was better than nothing.

After dragging her feet through the lobby and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, Catherine finally made it to Sara's room. It took her what seemed an eternity just to knock on the door, she waited; half aware that she was holding her breath. Minutes passed, and just as she was about to knock again the door swung open.

Sara stood on the other side, arms crossed defensively, still in her pajamas. She already knew it was going to be Catherine before she even opened the door.

Catherine smiled apologetically and offered the candy to the other woman. "Truce?"

Sara eyed the candy like it was a severed arm, her eyebrow arching.

"Uh, I knew you didn't really like flowers." The blonde shrugged dismissively.

The brunette grabbed the bag and turned and walked deeper into the room, a silent invitation to Catherine that it was ok to come in, she did.

Sara tossed the candy onto the table and lowered herself onto a chair, Catherine remained standing.

"Sara I'm sor-"

The brunette held up a hand, silencing Catherine.

"I know Catherine," She pulled her legs up to her and sighed. "I'm sorry. I jumped to the assumption that you were just here because of Gil and that was wrong of me. My emotions have been kinda screwy lately; I've been letting them get the best of me…" Her thought just seemed to trail off, as if she didn't know how to finish the sentence. She rested her chin on her knees and finally made eye contact with the other woman.

"You're allowed to get emotional every once in awhile Sar. It's perfectly normal." Catherine assured her. She kneeled next to the brunette and brushed some of her hair behind her ear lovingly. "Like I said earlier, I really _did_ come here because I missed you. I had no intention of telling you what Grissom wanted because I knew it was the _last_ thing you wanted to hear. I'm really sorry Sara, I should have told you. It was stupid of me to assume."

"It's ok, I'm sorry too. You were just looking out for me." Sara mumbled into her knees. She chuckled. "I gotta admit, when I came out and saw your bags still here; I was _really_ relieved that you didn't listen to me."

Catherine chuckled. "Well I'm just as stubborn as you Sidle, you aren't gonna get rid of me that easily!"

They both laughed.

"Good to know."

Catherine grabbed her hand. "Seriously though Sara, if I had known this would have been such a big deal to you I would've told you as soon as I got here."

"I don't know why it bothered me so much. It was probably the fact that it was 'Classic Gil', ya know? Prying into my life again with no real intention of being emotionally supportive; it just pisses me off."

"I know sweetie," Catherine started running her thumb over the top of Sara's hand. "He pisses all of us off sometimes. He's Gil, it's in his blood…I'm sure every group has a Grissom."

Sara nodded.

"Sooo," Catherine decided to change the subject. "Didja miss me today?" She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Oh totally," Sara rolled her eyes.

Catherine poked her side. "Ya know you did, don't deny it Sidle!"

Before Sara could reply Catherine's phone was ringing…again.

Catherine let her head hit the armrest of the chair where she was still kneeling. "I am seriously considering tossing this phone into the wall…" She answered it. "Hellooo?"

It was Warrick.

Her light-hearted expression turned grim instantly. "Whoa, whoa, wait…how many people?! A-and you've got _both_shifts on it?...Ya, alright. I'll leave in the morning. Ok, bye Rick." She hung up.

"Uh oh," Sara frowned.

"You have no idea." Catherine warily sat down at the edge of the bed and Sara quickly joined her.

"What's up?"

"Well, Warrick says they discovered a mass suicide cult that spread over 5 counties but the leader of the whole damn thing is missing with over a million dollars of the group's assets. They have the whole department on it and they _still_ need help…" She trailed off.

Sara knew instantly what that meant. "They need your help don't they?"

Catherine nodded solemnly. "I told him I'd start heading back in the morning…I really don't wanna go back without you Sara but I kinda have to."

Sara pulled her into a tight hug. "I understand. It's work…and if I was still a CSI I'd be right there with you…"

The blonde looked up at her from where her head was resting on her shoulder. "I'll come right back once we've closed the case, promise."

"No rush Catherine, I'll still be here."

Catherine smirked. "Any chance of you taking me on that date when I get back?"

Sara pursed her lips in the way she did when she tried to hide her smile. "Maybe,"

"I'll hold you to that Sidle." Catherine gave the brunette a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up and heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She was going to have to leave early in order to make it back to Nevada at any kind of reasonable hour.

As soon as the door closed Sara fell backwards on the bed. She couldn't help but laugh under her breath. Here she had been beyond pissed at Catherine only a few hours ago, and now she couldn't for the life of her find a viable reason for getting mad in the first place! _"I'm so whipped…but that's not such a bad thing."_

When Catherine came back out a few minutes later Sara was out like a light. The blonde smiled warmly before setting the alarm clock and turning off the lamp. She crawled onto the bed and snuggled up next to the brunette, draping her arm across her wait and resting her head against her shoulder. Sara unconsciously pulled her closer.

She stared into the dark as her mind wandered. She hadn't even left yet and she already missed her. The only bright side to going back to Vegas in the blonde's opinion was being able to think of a few more ways of getting the brunette back home. Catherine fought the sudden sleepiness that came over her, wanting to listen to Sara's even breathing for a bit longer, but her heavy eyelids finally settled that battle…

_**TBC…**_

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Whoa…ok…that sucked. I'm sorry I just wanted to get something posted. Next chapter will be better…Or ya'll can bitch at me!

REVIEW!

Nicole.


	6. Chapter 6

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Thanks to all who reviewed! Sorry for the wait.

Disclaimer: Does anyone even read these? I own nothing!

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The constant beeping of the alarm clock shook Catherine out of her peaceful sleep, considering that she was dreaming of her smoke alarm back home going off it wasn't exactly the biggest loss. _"That sound would definitely explain the weird dream…" _She thought groggily as she reached over Sara and turned off the annoying contraption before the urge to throw it against the wall became too great. Sara had covered her head with a pillow to drown out the noise.

"Too early," She groaned. Her protest was muffled in the pillow. Catherine had set the alarm to go off at 6 am.

Catherine fell back into the bed and stretched lazily. "I know, but I have to get on the road as early as possible if I want to get back home today." She sat up and started digging the clothes she was going to wear out of one of her bags.

Sara uncovered her face and watched Catherine in the dim light for a minute before speaking up. "It's kind of ironic…"

"What is?" Catherine threw over her shoulder.

Sara propped herself up against the headboard, feeling more awake than she was only a minute ago. "That I was the one who left in the first place and now you're leaving."

Catherine turned and faced Sara before crawling next to her and giving her a chaste kiss. "Ya, but the only difference is; I'm coming back."

The brunette wrapped her arms around the other woman, just wanting to hold her for at least a few minutes before letting her leave for who knew how long. Catherine leaned her head on Sara's shoulder. "Cath, I never said I was _never _going back to Vegas. I said I just didn't know when."

"I know sweetie, all I'm saying is that I would understand if you never wanted to go back."

Sara tightened her hold around Catherine and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Do you wanna go get some breakfast before I take off?" Catherine asked after a minute.

"Sure,"

"Ok," Catherine gave Sara a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the bathroom to get ready.

20 minutes later the blonde came out from the bathroom dressed in jeans and a powder blue shirt with her hair in a ponytail. She stopped when she spotted Sara on the other side of the room pulling on a pair of baggy cargo shorts. After ogling for a minute she couldn't help but laugh. Sara jumped slightly when she realized the blonde had come back into the room. She finished buttoning the shorts. She had already changed into one of her old band tees before Catherine came in.

"What's so funny?" Sara asked, feeling a slight blush creep up on her cheeks.

"It's just that, well, I'm not used to people putting their clothes _on _in front of me. It's usually the complete opposite." She giggled then winked at the younger woman to let her know she was only joking.

Sara shot the blonde her trademark gapped-tooth grin. That smile always made her insides melt. Every second she stayed with Sara made Catherine regret having to leave more. She shook the thought from her head and picked up a bag and handed it to the brunette and picked up the remaining two.

"Ok lady, let's go put my stuff in the car then go eat. I'm starving."

"Sounds good," Sara agreed and followed her out of the room

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After breakfast in the hotel restaurant the two walked to the parking lot to Catherine's car. The blonde laced her fingers with Sara's as they walked. When they made it to the SUV Catherine fidgeted with her keys for a moment, trying to delay the inevitable. She looked up at Sara and they smiled at each other.

"Call me when you get back, ok?"

Catherine nodded. "Sure thing." She wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck and gave her a lingering kiss before the two hugged. When they parted Catherine climbed into the SUV and Sara shut the door for her.

As Catherine started the ignition she rolled down the window.

"While I'm gone Sidle I want you thinking about where you're taking me for our first date." She winked.

Sara chuckled. "Ok Cath." She waved as Catherine put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. She watched until the black SUV was completely out of sight before shoving her hands in her pockets and began the walk back to her room…

**TBC…**


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